Later Mural Traditions Chapter Notes | Fine Art for Class 11 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Introduction

• After Ajanta, only a few sites with paintings have survived which provide valuable evidence to reconstruct the tradition of paintings.
• The sculptures too were plastered and painted.

Badami

• Badami, in the State of Karnataka, was the capital of the early Chalukyan dynasty.
• The Chalukya king, Mangalesha, patronised the excavation of the Badami caves.
• The Vishnu Cave in Badami has a fragment of painting that has survived on the vaulted roof of the front mandapa.
• Paintings in this cave depict palace scenes, showing Kirtivarman seated inside the palace with his wife and feudatories watching a dance scene.
• Stylistically speaking, the painting represents an extension of the tradition of mural painting from Ajanta to Badami in South India.

Murals under the Pallava, Pandya and Chola Kings

• The tradition of painting extended further down south in Tamil Nadu in the preceding centuries with regional variations during the regimes of Pallava, Pandya and Chola dynasties.
• The Pallava kings who succeeded the Chalukya kings in parts of South India, were also patrons of arts.
• Paintings at the Kanchipuram temple were patronised by the Pallava king, Rajsimha.
• When the Pandyas came to power, they too patronised art.
• On the pillars of the veranda in Sittanavasal, dancing figures of celestial nymphs are seen. The contours of figures are firmly drawn and painted in vermilion red on a lighter background. The body is rendered in yellow with subtle modelling.
• The tradition of building temples and embellishing them with carvings and paintings continued during the reign of the Chola kings who ruled over the region from the ninth to the thirteenth century.
• The temples of Brihadeswara at Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram in Tamil Nadu were built during the reigns of Rajaraja Chola, his son, Rajendra Chola and Raj a raja Chola II, respectively.
• Though Chola paintings are seen in Nartamalai, the most important are those in Brihadeswara temple.
• The paintings were executed on the walls of the narrow passage surrounding the shrine. Two layers of paintings were found when they were discovered. The upper layer was painted during the Nayak period, in the sixteenth century.
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• The paintings in the lower layer were executed in the Chola period. 
• They depict various themes, such as scenes from the life of Shiva, his marriage with Parvati, and the different forms of Shiva, such as Nataraja, Ardhanarishvara, and Dakshinamurti. The murals are executed in bright colors with detailed ornamentation, reflecting the skill and mastery of the Chola artists. 
• The figures are well-proportioned, and the facial features are subtly modeled, with a serene and spiritual expression. The background is painted in various shades of blue and green, representing the sky and nature. 
• The Chola paintings also show a continuity with the earlier mural traditions of Ajanta and Badami, especially in terms of style and technique.

In conclusion, the later mural traditions in India, especially in South India, continued the legacy of mural painting that began with Ajanta. These traditions were patronized by various dynasties, such as the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Pandyas, and Cholas, who built temples and other structures and adorned them with murals. The murals from these traditions showcase the skill and creativity of Indian artists, who used a variety of techniques and styles to depict a wide range of themes, from mythological stories to everyday life. The later mural traditions also show a continuity with the earlier mural traditions, especially in terms of style, technique, and iconography.

Vijayanagara Murals

• Artists evolved stylistic maturity over the years, with sinuous lines, supple figures, and elongated features.
• Vijayanagara Dynasty (14th-16th centuries) captured and controlled region from Hampi to Trichy, with Hampi as its capital.
• Many paintings survive in number of temples, including those in Tiruparakunram and Hampi's Virupaksha temple.
• Paintings depict events from dynastic history, episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• Nayaka painters adopted preceding centuries' stylistic conventions and portrayed scenes from Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Krishna-leela.
• Nayaka paintings are more or less an extension of the Vijayanagara style with minor regional modifications and incorporations.
• Figures are mostly in profile and set against a flat background.

Nayaka Murals

• Nayaka paintings seen in Thiruparakunram, Sreerangam, and Tiruvarur in Tamil Nadu.
• Paintings depict scenes from Vardhaman Mahavira's life and episodes from Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as stories related to Shiva and Vishnu.
• Figures are mostly in profile, with male figures shown slim-waisted but with less heavy abdomen compared to those in Vijayanagara paintings.
• The painting of Nataraja at Tiruvalanjuli is a good example of Nayaka styl.e

Kerala Murals

• Kerala painters evolved a pictorial language and technique of their own, taking cues from contemporary traditions like Kathakali and kalam ezhuthu (ritual floor painting of Kerala).
• Paintings are vibrant and luminous, representing human figures in three-dimensionality.
• Most narrations are based on episodes from Hindu mythology that were popular in Kerala, derived from oral traditions and local versions of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• Paintings seen on walls of shrines and cloister walls of temples, and some inside palaces.
• Mature phase of Kerala's mural painting tradition seen at Pundareekapuram Krishna temple, Panayanarkavu, Thirukodithanam, Triprayar Sri Rama temple, and Trissur Vadakkunathan temple.
• Murals are still prevalent in different parts of the country, including pithoro in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, Mithila painting in northern Bihar's Mithila region, warli paintings in Maharashtra, and paintings on walls in villages of Odisha, Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.